Evaluation of Interoperability in the Context of Advanced Metering Infrastructure

Smart grid interoperability is the driving force for integrating new components and technologies into the electricity grid of the future. Interoperability is an essential requirement for the smart grid allowing different subsystems and services to produce the expected results. Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) plays an important role as it provides insights on load demand patterns. This paper proposes an Absolute Scoring Scheme for supporting interoperability testing activities. The Scoring Scheme aims at quantifying the capacity of components of interest, i.e. Data Concentrators (DCs) and Smart Meters (SMs) to interoperate. The larger the pool of devices tested the more accurate and reliable the scoring scheme turns to be; creating a reliable big picture of the assessed market of components. A Test Verdict Tracing Scheme supporting interoperability testing activities is proposed too. This work has been developed at the Smart Grid Interoperability Laboratory (SGI Lab) of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.